Mibu no Hana Taue

Festival highlights

A highlight is the sight of brightly decorated oxen entering the paddy to prepare the soil.

To the music of large and small drums, flutes and hand-played gongs, and to rice-planting songs, young women plant seedlings along markers on a planting rope.

A “michiyuki” procession also takes place along Mibu Shopping Street, with decorated oxen, young women and musicians, bringing together farming activities, music, costumes and a procession.

A vivid agricultural tableau in Kitahiroshima Town, brought to life by decorated oxen and rice-planting songs

What to expect

The event begins by welcoming the field deity, Sanbai, to the paddy, followed by the decorated oxen preparing the soil, the young women gathering seedlings, leveling the field with an eburi, and then planting the rice.

During the rice planting, the sanbai leads the singing, and young women line up to plant seedlings to the accompaniment of the dengaku troupe and rice-planting songs.

At the end, an eburi is placed at the field’s water inlet, with 3 bundles of seedlings set on it, to send off the field deity.

How to take part

Roles supporting the event include the sanbai, young women rice planters, musicians and the dengaku troupe.

The 2026 event information lists Hana Taue as an event open to the public.

Location and access

Venue and address

Mibu Shopping Street and Hana Taue venue (Kitahiroshima Town).

Train and bus

Free shuttle buses run to the venue from the parking lots at the Kitahiroshima Town Office and Roadside Station Mai Road.

By car

The information advises visitors to go to the Kitahiroshima Town Office or Roadside Station Mai Road and take the free shuttle bus.

Parking

Parking is listed at the Kitahiroshima Town Office and the Roadside Station Mai Road.

Event venue 広島県北広島町 壬生商店街

This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.

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Dates and season

2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)

Information was published stating that the 2026 event would be held on June 7 (Sunday).

At the Hana Taue venue, the schedule lists a performance by children from Mibu Elementary School’s dengaku group at 10:50 a.m., the Honji Hanagasa Odori at 12 p.m., decorated oxen at 12:30 p.m., a performance by the dengaku troupe at 1 p.m., and the public Hana Taue event at 2 p.m.

It is usually held on the first Sunday of June.

Accommodation and hotels PR

Tips for your visit

The 2026 information indicates that visitors can take a free shuttle bus from parking lots near the venue.

The procession begins in Mibu Shopping Street, followed by the main event at the Hanadaue venue. Check the times of the scenes you want to see and plan your route accordingly.

Performances at the kagura venue take place at a different location, and their fees and start times also differ from those of the Hanadaue, so take care not to confuse the events you want to attend.

Origins and History of Mibu no Hana Taue

No precise records indicating the origins of Mibu no Hana Taue survive, but dengaku performances praying for a good harvest are said to have taken place by the mid-Heian period.

By the mid-Edo period, “hayashida”—rice planting by a large group to the accompaniment of drums, flutes and rice-planting songs—was practiced in the Chugoku region.

It is said that the event came to be called “Hana Taue” (“flower rice planting”) because of the vibrant sight of oxen adorned with flower saddles and artificial flowers, while elaborately dressed women planted rice.

It was designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1976 and inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2011.

Source: 年に一度の大行事！ユネスコ無形文化遺産｢壬生の花田植｣とは？ | 徹底解剖！ひろしまラボ - 広島県

Official information

The Kitahiroshima Town website’s “Mibu no Hana Taue” information provides details such as the 2026 event date, venue, schedule and shuttle buses.

Details of its cultural property designation and explanations of the event can also be found in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of National Cultural Properties.

Mibu no Hana Taue at a Glance

Mibu no Hana Taue is an agricultural event in Kitahiroshima Town that welcomes the field deity and features decorated oxen preparing the paddy, followed by rice planting to rice-planting songs.

Highlights include the michiyuki procession of decorated oxen, young women and the dengaku troupe, and rice planting accompanied by festival music.

Information was published stating that the 2026 event would be held on June 7 (Sunday) at Mibu Shopping Street and the Hana Taue venue, with free shuttle buses running to the venue.